Hey all,

just wondering what the smallest truck I can safely get away with to tow my newly acquired 31’ Formula. Is a dually absolutely necessary or will a ‘normal’ F250 or F350 have the stability? I will probably only use the truck 3-4 times per year max so it’s gonna sit a lot. I guess could also just rent one when I need to move the boat. Thoughts??

The boat is sitting on a 2024 trailer made by Rock and Roll. No trailer brakes on it as it has spent its life so far in the flatlands of south Florida but when it comes to Ohio it’ll be a bit different so I’ll fit electric over hydraulic brakes to the trailer once it’s up here. I have a fellow who’s got a monster Ram 3500 with an exhaust brake who’s going to pull it from Florida to Ohio for me and he said he wasn’t concerned about no trailer brakes for that run. He’s done several like that and that’s what he does for a living, but I’ll definitely want brakes on it once it’s here.

Thanks for any input regarding the truck!

Aaron

I have 3/4 ton gmc 4 door crew cab diesel 4x4, not a dually and tow a Formula 311 around from cincy to Lake Erie and central NY. I can not tell the boat is back there.

You will appreciate the length of the vehicle if you head down hills towing all that weight, so my suggestion is something longer than a standard cab, 6ft bed.

You will appreciate the wt of a 3/4 ton or larger when it comes to stopping all that momentum behind you, especially if brakes are non existent. That extra weight will help when traveling down hills and that boat is wanting to push you.

Once you use a diesel for towing, nothing compares. You can change lines like you are driving a car.

I at first had drum brakes on my trailer when purchased boat and since converted to all axles with electric over hydraulic and it was a game changer. When you head through Dayton or Columbus in tow, those trailer breakers are great. The morons on the road usually pull right in front of you and you have to stop and when you to with EOH, the trailer stops and slows your truck down, so much better control.

Im a believer if you have a truck, it has 4x4…. Period. Never been without, but I use 4x4 when putting in and pulling boat out of the ramps. Helps keep truck from sliding on wet ramps.

So I suggest a 3/4 crew cab diesel 4x4.

I wouldn’t want to tow that with less than an F250, and once you go diesel you will never go back.

people underestimate how much weight that is. I’m not going to google it but with big blocks on a triple axle trailer I bet you could easily end up at 12-13k full of fuel.

If I was going to tow long distances several times a year I would get the dually. If you’re just doing smaller trips the SRW should be fine. I tow my 42Tiger with a SRw but I don’t tow a lot. It’s probably 15-16k with fuel on a Steel Myco, and I have the H.O. motor and tow package obviously…..

The larger truck wheel styling from 2 decades ago, let them put larger brake packages on. Made a massove difference in stopping power.

While a dually would be better and safer from extra weight/width/tire contact, a good 3/4 ton or 1 ton SRW would be fine for a well 'braked' heavy trailer.

You need to be able to reasonably handle an event that causes the trailer brakes to not activate. Elec/hydraulic systems are complex with many parts.

The benefit of a heavy trailer is the heavy tongue weight helping out the rear truck brakes.

Make sure the loaded trailer is setup well for weight distribution when full of fuel and gear.

You also have to look out for exceeding GVW of the truck with tongue weight.

I had a 2003 3/4 Ram Cummins with a 6spd. With me in in it and a full fuel tank, I only had about a 1000 lbs capacity before going over gvw. Extra cab long box. The trans was very heavy.
3 other healthy men and luggage would almost eat up the rest of the 1000lbs capacity.

Thanks for the replies. I’ve found a 2001 F350 dually with manual trans and the gasser V10 for sale in Ohio with reasonably low mileage that seems priced well (and no, it isn’t rusty). I’ve had diesels and I know they rock for towing but I cannot stand the smell of diesel fuel or their exhaust so a diesel is off the table. That said, I know the Triton V10 will pull this setup and it’s a good engine based on the fact that many of them out there have 300K+ on their original bottom ends and heads. This truck will primarily be used for moving the boat around the Cincinnati area and perhaps up to Sandusky to put it on Lake Erie if I decide that river boating does, in fact, suck, but the main thing is that it’s gonna sit a lot so I didn’t want to spend a ton on something that won’t be used much at all and the diesels do seem to command a premium over big gassers. I will definitely go for a dually though, we’ve established that’s a must. Thank you guys again!

Don't overlook the GM 8.1 gas trucks. I have one, 2002 2500HD, with the same Allison transmission that the Duramaxes got (all automatic 8.1 2500HDs and 3500s came with the Allison). It's a very capable tow vehicle. They made the 8.1 from 2001 through the 2007 model year.

I’ll certainly keep the 8.1 gasser in mind. I know the Allison is definitely a good gearbox. I guess it’s mostly just down to aesthetic preference if I’m shopping 25 y/o pickups, lol

Pulled my old 35 Cigarette great.

What's the smallest truck that you can safely tow your newly purchased boat and trailer to Ohio? NONE!!
You do realize if you take I-95, 26 and 77. All 7 states that you'll be going through have mandatory boat trailer brakes for your weight? And if you go up I-75. The only state that doesn't have mandatory breaks is Kentucky?
If law enforcement pulls you over and sees that you don't have any brakes, they'll shut you down right there. They'll get a flatbed or a low boy and tow you away. Then who's ever driving gets the ticket. Or if the officers are real prick, he'll arrest the driver. Then there's the total disregard of everybody else's safety who's on the road while you're driving it.
I can't imagine a 2024 trailer not having breaks unless it's a yard trailer. And they're not built for a long haul.
In any case. Once you got things sorted out. An F-250 or similar size truck with four-wheel drive will do.

I’ll not be personally moving the boat from Florida to Ohio. A transporter is doing that. I was inquiring about once the boat is in Ohio. And when the trailer gets here, it’ll get brakes put on first thing. He moves boats all the time and has done so for many years so was my automatic assumption he was well aware of the laws. If I need to have brakes put on the trailer before it leaves Florida, it’s no problem. I’ve already looked into it. The manufacturer, Rock and Roll, in Miami, can install a surge brake easily.